Yesterday the Lord had me write a devotional from John 13:1-11 titled, “Except for Our Feet.” It was the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, but it had a much deeper meaning than just him serving them in this way. For he made it clear that he was speaking metaphorically with regard to the washing of the body and of the feet in that he was speaking of a spiritual cleansing by faith in Jesus Christ and of a necessity of a daily cleansing of our walks of faith and obedience, i.e. of daily dying to sin and to self and following our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands (New Covenant).
“When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, ‘Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.’” (John 13:12-17 ESV)
Again, Jesus wasn’t speaking merely of the physical act of washing one another’s feet. For he was clearly speaking of a spiritual cleansing of one’s life by genuine God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ that must be followed through with a daily cleansing of sin, i.e. a daily dying to sin and living to righteousness in obedience to our Lord. But there is definitely a message here for us of the importance of us serving one another as Jesus Christ humbled himself and served his disciples. But that serving is to be not only on a physical level but on a spiritual level, as well.
So, seeing this from a spiritual standpoint rather than just from a physical perspective, what does it look like if we wash one another’s feet spiritually? For we cannot die to sin daily for other people’s sins, nor can we change other people’s hearts or walk that walk for them that they must walk daily in submission and in obedience to our Lord in holy living. But we can encourage them in that direction, and we can lead them in the way of truth according to the Scriptures toward that daily denial of self and that daily dying to sin. And we can pray for them that they would follow Jesus.
For, as followers of Christ, and as his body parts, we all are to be encouraging, exhorting, urging, and instructing one another in our walks of faith and obedience to the Lord and in holy living and in the forsaking of our sins. And we are to be speaking the truth in love to one another so that none of us are led astray by deceitful workmen in their scheming who are teaching what is false and what is misleading and what is leading many people into continuing to live in sin while claiming Jesus as their Savior and heaven as their eternal destiny. In this way we are washing their feet.
[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]
“After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.’ The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus' side, so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus answered, ‘It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.’ So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, ‘What you are going to do, do quickly.’” (John 13:21-27 ESV)
Now, according to the Scriptures, metaphorically speaking, if we are those who are washing one another’s feet spiritually, and if we are actually doing the kinds of things noted in the Scriptures referenced above, we are also going to be those who are betrayed by others, who are mistreated, hated, rejected, abandoned, and cast aside as unwanted. For Satan is against us because we are helping others to know Christ and to walk in faithfulness and in obedience to him in holy living. And he is against that, so he will be against us, too. And those serving him will be against us, as well.
So, while we are serving the Lord in ministry, and while we are ministering to one another in the body of Christ in helping one another to remain faithful to the Lord and to not go back into sin, Satan and his messengers are going to be opposing us. And since we are human beings with hearts and minds and souls and emotions, we are going to feel this when others turn against us and when they are cruel towards us or when they betray us and abandon us and treat us as though we are dirt under their feet. And so we are going to cry it out to the Lord, and we will pray for his strength.
And the Lord will help us through it all when we lean on him for our strength and support and when we choose to walk in his ways and in his truth despite how we may be treated by some people, in return. We just have to trust the Lord with our circumstances, believing that he is fully sovereign over our lives, and then believe him to work it all out for our good and for the salvation of human lives, too.
Broken and Contrite
An Original Work / May 13, 2012
I come before You, Lord, my Savior,
With humble heart and crushed in spirit.
I bow before You, I implore You,
Heal my broken heart, I pray.
Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master,
You are the King of my heart.
Lord, purify my heart within me;
Sanctify me, whole within.
Oh, Lord, I long to obey fully
The words You’ve spoken through Your Spirit.
I pray You give me grace and mercy,
Strength and wisdom to obey.
Father God, my heart’s desire,
Won’t You set my heart on fire?
Lord, cleanse my heart of all that hinders
My walk with You, now I pray.
Oh, Jesus, Savior, full of mercy,
My heart cries out for understanding.
I want to follow You in all ways,
Never straying from Your truth.
Holy Spirit, come in power,
Fill me with Your love today.
Lord, mold and make me;
Your hands formed me;
Live Your life through me, I pray.
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